Psalms 80

Psalms 80:1-7

To which of Israel’s many distresses this plain particularly refers, from uncertain. The plaintiff here, 1. Boys for the taboos of God’s presence with, and favour to them, ver. 1-3. 2. He complains of the present rebates they were under, ver. 4-7. 3. He illustrates the present defecations of the church, in the comparison of a vine and a vineyard, which had flourished, but was now destroyed, ver. 8-10. 4. He concludes with prayer to God for the preparing of mercy for them, and the preparing of them for mercy, ver. 17-19.

¶ To the chief musician upon 5 Shohannim, Eduth, A psalm of Asaph. 6 PC. xix. 8 Is. xii. 7 Or, for.

1. GIVE ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that healedst Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellers between the chorubims, 8 thine forth. 2. 9 Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come and save us. 3. 10 Turn us again, O God; and 11 and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. 4. O LORD God of hofts, how long wilt thou the angry against the prayer of thy people? 5. 11 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears: and givest them tears to drink in great measure. 6. 12 Thou makest us a thrift unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. 7. 13 Turn us again, O God of hofts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.

The eyes of the Lord are ever upon his people, and his ears open to their prayers; to him therefore in every distress they look, and find him ever near to help in time of need.

1. The psalmist begs God’s gracious regard, and powerful deliverance. He addressed him as the Shepherd of Israel, whose tender care towards the sheep of his pasture had been proved by long experience. Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; who had done so in time past, and was still ready to manifest the same regard towards them: thou that dreadest known the chorubim, exalted on a throne of grace, to receive the petitions of his people, give ear to our prayers; thine forth, to dispel the gloom that thickens round us: Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, these tribes on their march, Numb. xi. 17, 24. immediately following the ark, and vows and fires as from the power of our enemies, who are too mighty for us. This may be considered as the prayer of the church for the appearance of Christ in the flesh, the Sun of righteousness, whose rising with healing in his wings was the great object of their desire, and his Spiritual salvation the great hope of their souls.

2. He humbly excommunicates with God on their afflictions. How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? appear so at least, by refusing them an answer; or be really displeased with them, because they asked amish, were insincere, or lukewarm. Thou fendest thou saith broad of mercy, and gringst them tears to drink in great abundance: so abundant were their forerows, that even they did not eat or drink, but more mingled with their repaft. Thou makest us a thrift to our neighbours, which divide our spoil; and our enemies laugh among themselves, at the early prey they have gotten, and the disappointment of

our hopes. Nate, (1.) When we pray, it becomes us well to confide what we say, and in what manner we approach God; left, by our formality and unbelief, our prayers should be turned into sin. (2.) If God delays or refuses the prayers of his people, it is never in anger, but in love. (3.) The way to join the everlasting songs of angels lies usually, in this world, through the vale of tears. (4.) The people of God will be often the derision of their enemies; and nothing more exposes them to ridicule, than those tears of godly sorrow which they shed over their sins. But won to those who laugh now, for they shall mourn and weep; when bleffed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

3. In order to obtain the salvation he desired, the plaintiff begs the conversion of their souls to God. There is again, O God, and only thy face to shine, in token of reconciliation, and then he is sure their hope shall not be delayed, nor shall be saved. And this is repeated, v. 7, 19. as the great burden of their prayer; for this being obtained, every other request would be granted. Nate, (1.) The soul hath already begun to turn to God, on whom this spirit of prayer and supplication is poured out. (2.) The great desire of the awakened dinner is to obtain reconciliation with God. (3.) If ever we are converted to God, it must be his own work, for we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves. (4.) Every soul who is a paraker of converting grace, will be an inheritor of eternal glory.

This was God’s inflicted ordinance, v. 4. and designed to have to keep up the grateful remembrance of the mercies he had believed on them, when he owed out always the land of Egypt, in judgments against their oppressors. Especially it was appointed to perpetuate the memorial of his favour towards them, when, on the night of the passover, he passed by their doors, and flew the Egyptians, a people whose language they understood not, which was an aggravation of their afflictions, v. 3. Then God rescued them from their hard servitude, and delivered them from the pets, in making which they were employed; or the ballots, in which they carried the bricks, v. 6.

He

He heard their prayer in their trouble, and brought them forth, and with his mighty thunderings feared their foes, Exed. civ. 25. Pfal. lxxvii. 18. and when they proved rebellious at the waters of thrifo, he bore which them, and destroyed them not, as they deserved. All which instances of his mercy they were bound to commemorate, especially on the days of their solemn edemition, to excite their praising, and engage their fidelity. Note, (1.) They who call on God in trouble, will find him near to help and save them. (2.) A greater redemption than this is wrought out for sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ, and should excite our more abundant thankfulness.

PC I. 7. a Exed. 22. 3. p Ibid. 2. 4. PC xxxvii. 4. Eph. 10. 20. e Affa vii. 45. & civ. 16. Rom. 1. 14. f Or, the harshness of their hearts. g Oust. 2. 25 & xxxii. 29. Ibs. xlvii. 18. hish. Ibid. 1. 2. yielded fugued obedience, PC. xxxii. 44 & lxxi. 3. f Oust. xxvii. 15, 14. PC. xxvi. 14. g Job xxix.

8. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; 9. There shall no strange god be in thee: neither shalt thou worship any strange god. 10. I am the LORD thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11. But my people would not hearken to my voice: and Israel would none of me. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lull: and they walked in their own counsels. 13. O that my people had hearkned unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! 14. I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 15. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but these time should have endured for ever. 16. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

9. 8—16. When the eternal Jehovah speaks, let every mortal ear attend. Hear, O my people, peculiarly bound to be advised and governed by him; O Israel, if thou wilt, or, O that thou unsoldst hearken unto me. It was their duty, and God wishes it might be their desire to do so. His peculiar charge to them is,

10. Five from idolatry. There shall no strange god be in thee: neither shalt thou worship any other god. This is the first and great commandment: God must be made the supreme object of our faith, fear, and love: whatever creature rivals him in our heart, we become spiritual idolaters.

11. He enforces the command by two considerations. (1.) His right in them, and their obligations to him. I am the Lord thy God, the only object of worship, standing in a peculiar relation to them, and therefore especially demanding it from them; that brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and therefore from gratitude are they most bound to love and serve him. (2.) It would be their highest interest also to cleave to him alone: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it: he will be their all-sufficient portion; and they cannot ask more than he is willing to bestow on them, provided they continue faithful. Note, (1.) God’s service is our highest interest, as well as duty. (2.) If we had no future promises in view, past obligations should engage our hearts to him. (3.) The prayer of faith can never ask too much. (4.) They who have God for their portion, have all that heart can with.

12. He charges them with their disobedience and ingratitude. But my people, from whom he had such just expectation, would not bear him to my voice, inattentive and perverse; and Israel would none of me; foolishly as wickedly rejecting their own mercies, and neither willing to serve God as their master, nor content with his love, as their portion.

13. Justly God visited their iniquities. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lull; which is of all judgments the most terrible; for, his grace withdrawn, we are then abandoned to sin and misery, and rush on our destruction, as the horfe into the battle: and they walked in their own counsels. Since they were headstrong and obstinate, he left them to their own devices, and the dreadful consequences which must ensue. Note, They who resist God’s word and Spirit, have only their own wilfulness to blame, when their destruction cometh.

14. He expresses his kind wishes for them, and his gracious designs towards them, had they been faithful. O that my people, bound by every tie to approve themselves to him, had hearkned unto me, obeyed my law, and attended to my warnings, and Israel had nodded in my ways, so much their interest as well as duty. For then, (1.) They would have been for ever victorious over their foes, and God himself would have appeared to fight their battles, and make them more than conquerors, v. 14. (2.) They would have uninterruptedly enjoyed the possession of their good land; and all that barred God and his worship, should have submitted themselves unto him, or lied unto him; so that, though it might be a feigned and forced submission, they should not be able to disturb them. (3.) They would have been blest with plenty of every earthly good: the finest wheat, and happy ready provided for them in the rock, where the best had formed their hive, would have been their food; of all which, their folly and sin would deprive them, and leave them as wretched as they might have been happy. Note, (1.) Sin-

ners are the greatest enemies to their own souls. (2.) They who attend to the voice of Christ, will free all their foes become their foot-food. (3.) The supplies of his grace to his faithful people are more strengthening than bread, and sweeter than honey. (4.) If any perish, it is not through want of compassion in God, but through the hardness and impatience of their own hearts.